Tell anybody you are planning to homeschool or are already doing it and the first question you will be asked is ‘what about socialization?’.

While homeschooling parents have a lot of challenges to face, the issue of socialization doesn’t come into picture unless you are homeschooling a single child. However, it has become a big deterrent for families with a single child who wish they could homeschool.

The term ‘Socialize’ means to ‘mix with others socially’ or ‘behave in a way that is acceptable to others and the surroundings’. A school’s environment tends to focus on the latter definition of the term while homeschooling enables socialization according to the former. Since teaching and learning in a homeschooled household takes place in various places, the children learn to mix with children and adults of different ages, gender, background, intellect, ethnicity and even profession. Their interactions take place at the bus stop, the post office, in the grocery store or maybe the museum.

However, society in general views a homeschooled child to be a loner. While this is not true, parents can take a few extra steps to overcome the so-called ‘lack’ of socialization in homeschooling.

The world’s a schoolHomeschooling doesn’t happen in a bubble. Unlike in a conventional school, the homeschooled child has with parental guidance, the opportunity to explore their surroundings much more. They thrive when given the opportunity to talk to people from all walks of life. Take them on trips to various locations in and out of your town/city. Spending a lot of time in the society, will hone their socialization skills better.

Support groupsGet in touch with other homeschooled children in the area and have play dates or study groups. This will help the children realize that contrary to popular belief, they are not alone. Different homeschooling styles might also help them discover more. Join the homeschooling community or co-op in your area and actively participate in it. It might or might not be all that you expect but it surely will be a start. Homeschooling might be an individual pursuit but it needn’t be a lonely one.

Interest groupsHomeschooling provides the children with enough time to pursue their interests and hobbies outside of their regular studies. Such interest groups can be great places for the children to socialize with a group which shares an interest rather than just an age. Attend summer camps and other social activities like volunteering, in the area. After all, there is no rule that 4-year-olds only need to talk to other 4-year-olds.

Establish rites of passagesOften, children are worried about missing their ‘Prom’ or ‘Graduation’ or other such activities that are considered to be a rite of passage. Get your community of homeschoolers to put together such activities for the children.

Summer schoolSocialization doesn’t seem to be a big issue for homeschooled children since they have a multitude of opportunities to mix with people socially. However, in case you are still worried about them missing out, you can always enroll them in summer school so that they can have a first-hand experience of a regular school setting.

There are definitely many challenges attached to homeschooling but in the larger scheme, socialization shrinks to almost a non-issue. Many research studies have proved that homeschooled children do have better social skills than their peers who attend conventional school. Also, homeschoolers have much more time to socialize in the real world than their peers. Instead of fighting off bullies and learning the ropes of school politics, homeschoolers learn life skills and experience education more practically.